Robert G. Osterhoudt

Bob Osterhoudt was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. in 1942. After three years in the United States Army, he won B.S. and M.S. degrees from the Pennsylvania State University and a Ph.D. degree from the University of Illinois. He was for more than thirty years a professor of humanistic subjects (mainly historical and philosophical subjects concerning sport) at Lock Haven (Pennsylvania) State College, State University of New York at Brockport, University of Minnesota, Arizona State University, and Semmelweis University (on Fulbright Fellowship in Budapest, Hungary). He has lectured in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia as well as in North America; has taught, conducted research, and directed graduate theses and dissertations in the United States; has published widely in national and international contexts (most notably his recent books, The Philosophy of Sport: An Overview, Sport as a Form of Human Fulfillment: An Organic Philosophy of Sport History, and Sport as Such: A Concise Philosophical Essay); and has won the Commendation for Research in the International Carl Diem Contest (from the German Sports Federation). He has been too a head college track and field and cross-country coach; the (founding) Editor of the foremost journal in his field, Journal of the Philosophy of Sport; and President of the leading organization in his field, International Association for the Philosophy of Sport. For more than sixty-five years, he has also participated in track and field athletics, variously at the interscholastic, intercollegiate, club, military, and masters levels; has been a state champion (and record holder), regional champion, national champion (and record holder), continental champion, and world medalist, principally at the masters level in the hurdles, hammer throw, throws pentathlon, and decathlon; has achieved All-American masters distinction in the hurdles, jumps, throws, pentathlon, throws pentathlon, and decathlon; and was the Grand Canyon (Arizona) State Games Male Athlete-of-the-Year in 1999.